KABUL // Afghanistan has launched an investigation after it emerged that President Ashraf Ghani’s nominee for agriculture minister is wanted for tax evasion in Estonia.
According to Interpol’s website, Mohammad Yaqub Haidari is wanted for “large-scale tax evasion, fraudulent conversion” in a case dating back to 2003.
“We have started our investigation based on Afghan law. If this accusation is proved, he will be removed from the list of cabinet nominees,” said presidential spokesman Nazifullah Salarzai on Saturday, adding that the presidential office had been unaware of Mr Haidari’s legal troubles.
Although President Ghani’s nominee has been on Interpol’s wanted list for years, it was not widely known or reported in Afghanistan.
On Saturday, Mr Haidari confirmed his place on the wanted list but insisted he is innocent.
“I am being targeted by a political conspiracy. When you enter the world of business and politics, this is what happens,” the 52-year-old said.
Mr Haidari said the taxes were owed not by him but by a person who bought a company from him that did business in Estonia.
Afghanistan’s new cabinet was unveiled last Monday after three months of wrangling following the controversial election of Mr Ghani and the formation of a “national unity government”.
The “unity government” deal was seen as saving the country from the risk of imminent civil war when both candidates claimed to have won the election in a stand-off that exacerbated long-standing ethnic tensions.
The names of the 25 new ministers have already been sent to parliament where lawmakers will vote for them on Tuesday.
Mr Ghani, who replaced long-time leader Hamid Karzai, has vowed to root out widespread corruption and said he would choose his ministers based on their qualifications, not their connections.
Afghanistan was ranked as the world’s fourth most corrupt country last year by the watchdog Transparency International. It has topped the list in previous years.
* Agence France-Presse and Reuters